NEW DELHI: Amphenol, the US-based antenna and network solutions provider is upbeat about India's telecom market, and said that it closely works with technology vendors and telecom carriers such as Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea and Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL). In an interaction with PageOneAsia, Joshy Paul, Chief Executive Officer of Amphenol India said that the thirst for data has seen stupendous growth in the last couple of years, and 5G would act as a catalyst for India's digital growth. 

Edited excerpts:

What is your key overall business focus? How big is your company in terms of annual revenue?

Amphenol Antenna Solutions (AAS) is a division of Amphenol Corporation, an $8 billion revenue NYSE company, supplying to diverse markets including the mobile networks, automotive, military, aerospace, Information Technology and medical sectors. Amphenol is one of the largest manufacturers of antenna and interconnect products in the world and is the market leader in almost all the spheres in operation.

What are your views on 5G and in context to India?

Indian customers' thirst for data has seen stupendous growth in the last couple of years, be it work from home, online shopping, digital entertainment, e-sports etc. And to meet the demand, continuous capacity enhancement solutions are required to be deployed in the fastest possible way. 5G to act as a catalyst for the digital growth, introduction of new products & services, new streams of multiple value chains and greater efficiencies in productivity across industry verticals resulting in enhanced customer experience.

With AGR verdict off the list, all operators will focus on wooing customers with new offerings and bouquets to attract new and retain existing customers. I believe the market will move towards 5G in a big way in coming months. India, no longer opting for the wait and watch approach, and has stepped up its efforts towards 5G commercial deployment. Government of India through its NDCP 2018 policy, also supports early adoption of 5G technology, which primarily focuses on creating a roadmap for new and emerging technologies like 5G, Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, Internet of Things, Cloud Computing and M2M. Connect, Propel and Secure India is the mission envisaged through it.

How do you see antenna business in the wake of next-generation networks (4G, 5G) and what is your growth projection - both for the industry and company? Who are your closest competitors?

Telecom companies in India are actively engaged in LTE-optimization, coverage enhancement, network densification in urban areas and getting ready for 5G roll out by next year. Amphenol is participating in this endeavour by providing suitable sector, multi-beam, hybrid, multi-port antennas. Expansion of the network to rural areas is inevitable to cover the data connectivity which still does not reach approximately 35% of the population in this country. With Amphenol unique and most advanced high band connectivity along with all low band solutions portfolio, Telcos can deploy the latest 4.5G technologies immediately, while also preparing for any future 5G scenario. With regard to 5G and 3.5GHz, Amphenol presents several pragmatic and innovative solutions. Our main guideline in developing these solutions has been to fully address those challenges experienced in the field. Simple and easy packages for installers and carriers is the “DNA” of our 5G portfolio. Additionally, our team has been very creative on the active product front; from our LSA (Large Scale Antenna) evolution to repeater solutions, access points and mmWave applications. Amphenol always endeavours to excel against Amphenol resulting in healthy and positive competition.

Do you have a business understanding/partnership with vendors such as Ericsson and Nokia? Share insights into your partnerships with Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea.

There is a huge growth potential in the India market in coming years including Amphenol, as India is the second biggest market in telecom after China, with focus being moved to India. We have partnerships with all the major telcos such as Reliance Jio, Airtel, Vodafone Idea and BSNL, and have been supplying latest & high capacity equipment to all the telcos, particularly in the antenna and radio frequency space. Our portfolio comprises products which can be used across all generations - 2G/ 3G/ 4G, and the newest 5G technologies. Amphenol Antenna solutions operates both at global and regional levels and have an established business partnership with multiple OEM players to deliver latest solutions to the telcos.

How many manufacturing facilities do you operate in India and what is the workforce strength in India?

Amphenol established its first India subsidiary in 1970 and over the years expanded into five manufacturing plants spread across Pune, Bangalore, Chennai, and Kochi. With such commitment and investment in India for last 50 years, thus Amphenol is uniquely positioned to support the “Make in India” & “Aatmanirbhar Bharat” program envisaged by the government of India, especially for telecom equipment manufacturing in the country.

How do you see developments in India's electronic sector including the PLI scheme?

We already have a manufacturing base in India and more than 75% content obtained from the local market.